Zuko at 18:24, 18 June 2024

2024-06-18T18:24:02Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
|agencyname = Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations
|abbreviation = OCTOPUS
|formedyear = 2007
|formedmonthday = 1 October
|employees = 1700<ref name=250men>{{cite news|title=Andhra anti-terror force Octopus gets its headquarters|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/andhra-anti-terror-force-octopus-gets-its-headquarters-254415|accessdate=28 September 2013|newspaper=[[NDTV]]|date=13 August 2012}}</ref>
|budget =
|nongovernment =
|country = India
|police = Yes
|local = Yes
|paramilitary =
|speciality1 = specops
|divtype = State
|divname = [[Andhra Pradesh]] & [[Telangana]]
|parentagency =
|headquarters = Khalsa Ibrahimpatnam Village, [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]], [[India]]
|website =
|footnotes =
}}

The '''Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations''' ('''OCTOPUS''') is an elite [[counter terrorism]] joint unit of the [[Andhra Pradesh Police]] in the state of [[Andhra Pradesh]] & and the [[Telangana Police]] in the state of [[Telangana]] in [[India]].<ref name=250men/><ref>{{cite news |title=Octopus conducts mock drill at Telangana High Court |url=https://telanganatoday.com/octopus-conducts-mock-drill-at-telangana-high-court |accessdate=18 July 2020 |work=Telangana Today |date=15 December 2019}}</ref>

==History==
On 1 October 2007, the Andhra Pradesh cabinet approved the formation of OCTOPUS.<ref name="cabinet">{{cite news|title=OCTOPUS - Andhra Pradesh's terror response|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/oct/01ap.htm|accessdate=28 September 2013|newspaper=[[Rediff]]|date=1 October 2007}}</ref>

==Headquarters==
OCTOPUS Commando Training Center was inaugurated on 13 August 2012, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister [[Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy]] at Khalsa Ibrahimpatnam Village near Hyderabad, with 570 acres land area. Before this, they had been based at a makeshift headquarters.<ref name="new HQ"/><ref name=250men/>

==Achievements==
* AP OCTOPUS commandos have secured first place in a competition conducted by [[National Security Guard|NSG]] under the scheme Agni Pariksha 7 in 2021.
* They won the championship by scoring more points than [[National Security Guard|NSG]] and other elite security forces in the competition. <ref>{{cite web | url= https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vijayawada/aps-octopus-force-tops-natl-level-meet/articleshow/86899353.cms | title= AP Octopus force tops national level meet}}</ref>

==Training==
The commandos are trained in handling sophisticated weapons such as [[Glock-19|Glock-19 pistol]]s, [[Colt 9mm SMG]], [[Franchi SPAS-15]] dual mode shotguns, sniper rifles, [[taser]] guns and [[CornerShot|corner shot]] systems.

On 16 November 2012, tenders were invited for the supply of a sample [[jet pack]] unit to the OCTOPUS. Plans have been made to acquire more jetpacks in the future.<ref name=jetpack1>{{cite news|title=AP cops plan to fly into James Bond era|url=http://newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/article1350883.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002043305/http://newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/article1350883.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 October 2013|accessdate=28 September 2013|newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]]|date=23 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=jetpack3>{{cite news|title=Andhra Pradesh police plan to fight terror on the fly|url=http://newindianexpress.com/nation/article1354899.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002045153/http://newindianexpress.com/nation/article1354899.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 October 2013|accessdate=28 September 2013|newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]]|date=26 November 2012}}</ref>

==Organisation and role==
About 100 OCTOPUS personnel have been deployed at the [[Tirumala Venkateswara Temple|Tirumala Venkateswara temple]] to oversee the temple security.<ref name="new HQ">{{cite news|title=Kiran opens Octopus headquarters|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/kiran-opens-octopus-headquarters/article3769092.ece|accessdate=28 September 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 August 2012}}</ref><ref name=250men/>

==Deployment==
* October 2013 armed terrorists in Puttur of Chittoor district in the erstwhile AP

===After Telangana formation===
* July 2017 Muthoot Finance at Happy Homes apartment complex armed robbery.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2017/jul/05/octopus-faces-its-second-major-op-after-formation-1624413.html | title=OCTOPUS faces its second major Op after formation | date=5 July 2017 | newspaper=The New Indian Express | first=P | last=Hareesh | access-date=25 August 2019 }}</ref>

==After bifurcation==
Of the 1590 commandos for the OCTOPUS, the force was divided on the basis of options exercised by the staff<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aplegislature.org/documents/12524/17895/APRegACT2014.pdf/8505fe86-f67b-41a7-ac8f-571f58090586|title=AP Reorganization Act, 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Greyhounds (police)]]
* [[Force One (Mumbai Police)|Force One]]
* [[Special Tactical Unit]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Andhra Pradesh Police]]
[[Category:Non-military counterterrorist organizations]]
[[Category:Specialist law enforcement agencies of India]]
[[Category:2007 establishments in Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 2007]]

Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations - Revision history

Zuko at 18:24, 18 June 2024